Flinn to appeal discharge ruling, lawyer says

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- 1st Lt. Kelly Flinn, the first female B-
52 bomber pilot in the U.S. Air Force, will appeal the order
under which she was allowed to resign, her lawyer said
Sunday.

Flinn plans to file the appeal and seek an honorable
discharge after Air Force Secretary Sheila Widnall retires,
perhaps later this year, Frank Spinner told NBC's "Meet the
Press."

Widnall allowed Flinn to resign with a general discharge to
avoid a court-martial on charges of adultery, lying and
disobeying an order.

Spinner predicted Flinn might receive an honorable discharge
from a new secretary, partly thanks to support she has
received from some lawmakers.

Sen. Olympia Snowe, a Maine Republican who is the only woman
on the Armed Services Committee, told "Meet the Press" she
had hoped Flinn would get an honorable discharge from the Air
Force.

A general discharge is given when normally faithful service
is marred by negative aspects of a person's performance or
personal conduct.

Pilot: 'I've lost my innocence'

In her first interview since accepting the general discharge,
Flinn told Time magazine she is emotionally hurt but ready to
go on with her life.

Flinn said she has learned her lesson the hard way: "I've
lost my innocence, and I've lost my ability to trust people
in general and anyone and anything," Flinn told the magazine.
"In time, I guess, those wounds will heal, but right now
that's where I am."

Flinn was accused of having an affair with a married
civilian, Marc Zigo, lying about it to investigators and
disobeying an order to end it. She was also accused of the
more serious crime of "fraternization" for a brief affair
with an enlisted man.

"I've lost my innocence, and I've lost my ability to trust people
in general and anyone and anything...In time, I guess, those wounds will heal, but right now
that's where I am."

-- Kelly Flinn in her interview with Time

In her interview, Flinn reasserted that Zigo was to blame for
her downfall and said Zigo's ex-wife, Airman Gayla Zigo, was
a victim of her ex-husband, not of Flinn.

Flinn told Time that Gayla Zigo "had already been separated
from [Marc Zigo] because of another woman."

Flinn said the reason she accepted the general discharge "was
that it would save myself, my family and the Air Force and
everyone that is involved in this case, including Airman
Zigo, the embarrassment."

Flinn said she had hoped for an honorable discharge so she
could "salute smartly, get Marc Zigo the hell out of my life
and move on. I wouldn't have to live under his threats
anymore."

Ready to move on

In the face of much talk about possible book deals and movie
offers, Flinn said she would first try to rest and relax and
then review her options -- which may include seeking a waiver
that would allow her to fly in the Air National Guard of the
Air Force Reserve.

And although observers say it is unlikely that Flinn will be
allowed to fly for the Air Force Reserve or National Guard,
Flinn says she is ready to move on.

"I just want to get in my Jeep and go. ... I'll probably
throw some outdoor gear in the Jeep, get myself a dog and
go," she said.

In her resignation letter to the Air Force, Flinn admitted
that leaving the Air Force was the worst punishment she could
imagine.

When Time asked Flinn about the message sent by the incident,
she said, "It's not necessarily a message for any other
woman. It's just a message to anybody in the Air Force that
you need to think of people as human beings and realize that
they are subject to human mistakes and human errors."

And what about her personal life? Flinn, laughing, told Time,
"I think the next person I date is going to have to be
fingerprinted and have a full background check."